But… it doesn’t sell more Muso’s…
Quite possibly, but it is just my opinion that it is important to document work properly and provide something to the end user that is as complete as possible.
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You are correct.
But… the ‘Bean Counters’ may not agree with you, sadly.
Well possibly and we are entering the sad reality of today. Then again if the technical competences/responsibles see that sort of thing is important then this should make a good case that can be put to the “bean counters” to ensure a certain standard can be maintained
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I have to agree with SJB here.
The product overview of the site in German language has the word “abgesetzt” = canceled next to the NAP 200 DR and the NAC 202. For some reason the word has a capital A next to the NAC, but not next to the NAP.
Both the NDX and DAC are listed, only if you open the product page you see that they are “discontinued” (English word). According to the German part the DAC-V1 isn’t discontinued, which it is in the English part.
The Forum still is great, though.
In Aerospace, without the correct documentation, the airframe doesn’t even get certified for flight worthiness.
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I think you are missing the point. We are talking about user documentation that should cover enough technical aspects of the design and functionality to understand it properly together with sufficient details for the people doing an installation or for the user of the equipment. Also with what the OP seems concerned about that the documentation related to Naim’s website which also needs addressing, which is not evolving properly with new and discontinued products
I think the reason it hasn’t been updated hints to a lack of marketing staff in Salisbury and thus lack of attention. I don’t think apart from the Naim records label manager there are any UK marketing staff left.
AFAIK it’s now managed at group level with outsourcing for specific tasks.
Indeed, also the same for secure and cyber IT systems… without it you won’t or very unlikely to pass the ITHC, though there can be cases of conditional remediations.
Though as with air worthiness, secure IT systems can often carry higher impact and can be life impacting.
Consumer Hi-Fi systems really are about quality and consumer markets, and other than basic mains electrical compliance carries little impact if any to life or security, though I am sure a company like Naim has robust internal quality processes for those areas it deems important for its business.
To be honest I would have thought that a company the size of Naim Focal could employ someone pretty much full time as a Global website and documentation editor to ensure that those channels promote the company in the best possible light. My wife was the Global website editor for BA.com for a number of years and was one of a whole team of people supporting and maintaining the content on that site in all its incarnations across the world. There were other specialist teams looking after printed materials, technical manuals, branding and corporate identity.
These jobs may not be easily measured by contribution to the bottom line, but they were taken incredibly seriously at a corporate level simply because how a company presents itself to the world is vitally important. It evidently works too because ba.com is now a multi-billion pound revenue channel and the airline trademark is one of the most powerful master-brands in the world.
Naim is a halo company with an aspirational brand for sure, so I would argue that it absolutely should be presenting its products, design and engineering in a wholly professional manner. That almost certainly requires dedicated skilled manpower.
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Interesting how we have different perspectives on the same thing. I’ve a close relative who has worked for BA for decades. Internally the web site management is viewed as farcical and a revenue loser. Generating revenue and being competent are two often unrelated things.
Similarly my friend held a similar role for Orange. He set up and managed their global web site structure back in the day and walked when they ignored every last bit of advice on how to manage it.
In every company I’ve worked for, every department thought every other department didn’t have a clue what they where doing. 
It’s down to human nature and ignorance.
With regards to Naim website maintenance being outsourced. My guess, is the people at Naim who used to be responsible for website maintenance will have the attitude of feuck em, let them get on with it, I’m not getting involved. Again human nature.
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As Fatcat says it’s often a matter of where you work in the organisation how you view other depts. I’m now at the pointy end and it surprises me how many operating crew think that the people in HQ are a bunch of incompetents who sit around all day drinking soya latte.
I usually remind them that you don’t get to be one of the world’s most successful and highly regarded airlines for 100 years if the people in HQ haven’t a clue…
Not sure how your friend calculates the website is a revenue loser, it’s where about 80% of the revenue comes from… It may not be perfect, nothing ever is and my wife left 10 years ago now so I will avoid taking the criticism personally! What I can tell you is that she and the rest of the team put an enormous amount of effort into designing, building and maintaining the original website and it was hailed at the time as a huge success and quite revolutionary.
Re: outsourcing my overall experience was that it usually doesn’t work out for the better. No external organisation ever has the same level of commitment or passion as an internal team who believe in the company and its values. Sometimes there are advantages to hiring specialist external agencies for particular expertise in a specialist field though (e.g. IT security, external design agencies, PR or advertising).
Jonathan
What I find hard to fathom is that there is no one whose role is he is to have a look at the website and see if it’s fit for purpose or else there is someone in that role who has told in the powers that be of the situation and they in turn have ignored it.
Either scenario is not very good.
.sjb
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The sites reads like maintenance is given a low priority and that updates are only done when there are products to release. I would guess that ultimately there might be a Naim/Focal site.
Don’t disagree, however having been involved with technical product marketing many moons ago… I know what a pain it can be keeping collateral updated and current….
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There was someone hired as “global head of digital marketing” at focal/Naim. Didn’t see any change to the website during their tenure. Might still be there.
I’d assumed all that stuff would be managed by little red rooster now.
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